Beer-related travel, at home and abroad, exploring and indulging my passion for beer.

Saturday, 9 February 2019

The porter at the Castle gate

I managed to track down some more Larkin’s Porter on Friday
lunchtime, a find which represented only my second sampling this season of this
excellent beer.

I broke with my usual lunchtime regime ofa brisk walk, and considering the appalling
weather which hit the south-east today, I certainly made the right choice. However,
Storm Erik was not the reason for my break of routine, as I’d already made my
mind up to go off and find some of this difficult to locate seasonal beer from Larkin’s, and my plan was to phone
around a few local (to my workplace), pubs where I thought there was a good
possibility of them stocking the beer.

I struck gold with my first phone call, when the Castle Inn at Chiddingstone confirmed the availability of the porter. I jokingly asked the
recipient of my call to reserve me a pint, and come lunchtime, I jumped into my
car and set off to drive the short distance over to Chiddingstone village.

Just leaving the factory, and getting hit by a deluge of
rain, was enough to prove I had made the right choice, and just overfive minutes later, I was pulling in to the
tiny National Trust-owned village of Chiddingstone. Parking has always been
something of an issue in a settlement which has remained largely unchanged
since it was sold to the Trust during the 1930’s, but I managed to find a place just past
the village church.

I then walked briskly down toward the pub, taking advantage
of a brief lull in the rain, to stop and take a few photos. The Castle Inn lies
at the far end of Chiddingstone’s main street, adjacent to the entrance to the
stately pile which calls itself a castle.

I made for the Public Bar, which is housed in the right-hand
portion of the pub. I entered the bar and was immediately struck with the
sensation of having travelled back in time. I spotted the pump-clip for
Larkin’s Porter, and after breathing a sign of relief, ordered myself a pint.

The barman asked if I was the gentleman who’d phoned
earlier. I confirmed that indeed I was before he disappeared into the other bar
to pull my pint. He placed it on the bar, jet black in colour and topped with a
fluffy, off-white head. It looked delectable, and as I handed over my cash I
couldn’t wait to raise it to my lips.

The biggest and most pleasant surprise though was the price,
a very reasonable £3.60! Under previous ownership the Castle had a reputation
for being an expensive place to drink in; something to do with being an
upmarket pub in a National Trust village, so paying under four quid for a 5.2%
ABV beer was a real revelation.

I sat down at a table opposite the fireplace, my eye drawn
to the log burner which was blazing away nicely. The beer was in fine form and
I scored it at 3.0 NBSS. It slipped down a treat, but at that strength, and
with a busy afternoon ahead – plus the driving, of course, I sensibly stuck to
just the one. I needed to be back by 2 pm
anyway, as one thing about my workplace is no-one is ever late back from lunch.

I couldn’t see through to the Saloon, but there were just
two other people in the Public, a mature couple, sitting at a high “posing
table". From their conversation they were locals from the village and when one
of the bar staff brought their food out, I admit to being slightly envious, as
the lamb shank in particular looked rather good.

The pub cat who’d been hanging around my table, made a
beeline for the couple as soon as their food arrived, but its foray didn’t last
long as the barman walked over, picked it up and took it out the back. This may
have been because the woman had said she was a dog person, rather than a cat
lover.

The barman explained to us that this cat was a roving moggy,
probably belonging to someone in the village, before having made itself at home
in the Castle. Its favourite place, apparently was a bench, close to a
radiator in the other bar.

So for a Friday lunchtime, the pub was pretty quiet, but
with Storm Erik raging outside I wasn’t surprised. Having said that, on a wild,
wet and windy early February day, tucked up close to the fire, with a pint of
Larkin’s Porter in front of me, I can’t really think of a much better place to
be.

One final thing I couldn’t help but notice was some snippets
of conversation between the two blokes behind the bar. It was evident that at
least one of them was from the Castle’s sister pub; the Wheatsheaf at Bough Beech. Both establishments are owned by a local businessman who I understand has connections with Westerham Brewery. Beers
from the latter are on sale at both pubs, and it would appear from what I
witnessed that staff also rotate between the two hostelries.

From a personal point of view, it is good to see the Castle
open and trading again, after a prolonged period of closure, and I’m sure that
had I visited when the weather was more clement, I would have seen a lot more customers. I fully
expect therefore, that come spring, when the coaches and tourists are out in
force, the Castle will once again be bustling.

A lunchtime pub visit is not something I do regularly Martin, but just once in a while does make it that little bit special. Fortunately my company are fairly relaxed about it, which isn't always the case these days.

The area around Penshurst certainly has some fine pubs and although most of them, of necessity, are given over to dining, the casual drinker is normally made to feel welcome.

Facebook Badge

About Me

Approaching my mid-sixties, but still working, as I can't afford to retire. Married with a son who's in his mid-twenties, but is unable to leave home, as he can't afford to either. My interests are many and varied, and whilst beer (and the
enjoyment of it) obviously features high on the list I also enjoy travelling
(particularly when it involves searching out new beers to try), cycling and
walks in the countryside. I dabble a bit in gardening, although this dabbling is becoming less and less. My other main interests though are
music, especially 70's rock music, and history. I have been a member of CAMRA
since the mid 1970's and have edited a number of local branch magazines. I have
also had published two, now sadly out of date, guides to Kent
pubs. For six years my wife and I also ran our own successful real-ale
off-licence, which as well as selling cask ale to take away by the pint,
offered one of the best selections of bottled beers in the south east. Prior to
taking on the shop, I was an accomplished home-brewer producing a wide range of
full-mash beers; something I intend to get back into in the not too distant
future.